1. Field of the Invention
The present disclosure generally relates to mechanisms adapted for cleaning the interior surface of a tube, and in particular, to a mechanism for, and method of cleaning a tube, such as an Exhaust Gas Recirculation (EGR) cooling tube, that utilizes active material actuation.
2. Discussion of Prior Art
Conveyance tubes, particularly those used in EGR systems, can accumulate unwanted deposits on their interior surfaces. These deposits can negatively impact the performance of the system; for example, by reducing thermal efficiency and increasing flow restriction. Currently, removing these deposits requires deconstruction of the EGR system and applying a manual cleaning tool to remove the deposits. This presents various concerns in the art, including, for example, the need to incur down-time in having to send the system to a shop and the expenditure of significant man-hours by a trained specialist to perform the cleaning. Accordingly, there is a need in the art for a tube cleaning mechanism that autonomously dislodges deposits without requiring significant man-hours or the disassembly of the system.